(Silly) Event- “Find the Illegal Immigrant” at NYU

Controversy is surrounding the bright idea by the student Republican club at New York University (NYU) to organize a “Find the Illegal Immigrant” game today between 11am and 2pm. The “winner” is the first “INS” agent to find the club member wearing an”illegal immigrant” badge. Needless to say, many people on campus are not thrilled with the plans to “play” the game with a protest planned to take place at the same time as the Republican’s event.

It makes no difference how one feels about illegal immigration, but to hold such a “provocative” event is juvenile and disingenuous. It would be in the best interest of the community in general to host a panel discussion or series of speeches on the issue of illegal immigration. Though I disagree with the Minutemen’s goals, I applaud the intent of student organizers at Columbia University to allow Minutemen founder Jim Gilchrist to speak there last year. (Too bad the event ended in fisticuffs). All “Find the Illegal Immigrant” does is encourage partisan division instead of allowing for meaningful debate on illegal immigration. Today’s event by the NYU student Republican club is nothing more than a sad public relations ploy trivializing a very serious topic.

(Disclosure- I’ve been a graduate student at NYU since 2003.)

Update (12:20pm): The local news broadcasts at noon have covered the event and protest; video footage shows a few hundred people protesting in front of the Silver Center where the "game" is occurring. NY1 News interviewed one of the student Republicans who justifies the event yet admitted that it does "ruffle some feathers." Meanwhile, a reporter for the local CBS affiliate read a statement from the president of the New York Young Republicans who is distancing himself from the "game" and worries that it will "perpetuate negative stereotypes" of the Republican Party.

Editorials in NYU's student newspaper and New York's largest Spanish-language newspaper have called the student Republicans to task for their p.r. stunt. The Washington Square News said:

We were starting to write this editorial as if the point or points of the event were policy, reading or even thinking. No one is under that illusion - not even the Republicans themselves. This is a publicity stunt, and everyone knows it.

El Diario/La Prensa has the following to say:

It’s a dramatic stunt to draw attention. And it is certainly offensive to spoof the desperation of people who risk their lives to cross the border. But the College Republicans have a right to freedom of speech. That same right allows people to respond to their views with information and broaden the discussion on immigration.

Image- Personal collection (A view of Washington Square Arch during the 2006 NYU Convocation ceremony)

Links- Gothamist, VivirLatino, New York Daily News, The Latin Americanist